THEATER REVIEW : NEIL SIMON IN A SECOND CHILDHOOD

Rumor has it that there are people who don’t laugh during Neil Simon plays. And when they’re found, some scientist will probably get a grant to study them.

For everyone else, for nearly 30 years a ticket to a Simon play has meant a ticket to mirth.

“Brighton Beach Memoirs,” now playing at the North Coast Repertory Theatre through Aug. 9, is no exception to this rule. It is decidedly more ambitious than Simon’s earlier works. The first play in a semi-autobiographical trilogy, it starts a story that culminates in “Broadway Bound,” which just reaped the ultimate reward for seriousness--a Tony Award for lead actress Linda Lavin.

Still, those looking for the old Simon magic will find that he has not abandoned the formulas that work. His characters still confront each other only to make up, with more love and wit than ever before. And it’s a good thing that the formulas are there because while there are some lovely things in this current production of “Brighton Beach,” there are also some problems that only the air-tight construction of a Simon play could survive.

One of the charming notes is Paul Epstein as Eugene Jerome Morrison, a.k.a. the young Neil Simon. The part is a difficult one; it requires a young actor to move from narrator to a participant vitally involved in the plot.

The part also has its considerable rewards. After all, the guy who plays Neil Simon in a Neil Simon play is bound to get the funniest lines.

The role established Matthew Broderick, who created the part, as a star. Epstein, a junior at San Dieguito High School, does a mighty good job filling those big shoes.

Epstein’s Eugene is a funny, frenetic kid with three main goals: playing baseball for the Yankees, seeing his cousin Nora naked and looking for material to write about.

Although he’s not too successful in the first two departments, his family does provide him with all the writing material he needs.

His mother, Kate, keeps him constantly on the move, sending him on errands that make no sense to him, like asking him to get a quarter pound of butter in the morning and the same amount again in the afternoon.

Of course, the real reason his mother is so careful of expenditures is because of all the responsibilities on her shoulders. Her widowed sister, Blanche, and Blanche’s daughters, Nora and Laurie, live with the Jeromes because Blanche has no other means of support.

Eugene’s father, Jack, works two jobs to keep the family together. Eugene’s brother, Stanley, who teaches him almost everything he wants to know about sex--Eugene can never hear enough about this fascinating subject--gets into constant scrapes involving the vitally important $17 a week he brings into the family from his work at the warehouse.

And on top of everything else, it is 1937 in Brighton Beach and everyone is worried about the coming war.

Kathleen Thompson’s direction keeps everyone moving nimbly around Ocie Robinson’s homey, compact set throughout the first act. In the second, however, the play starts showing its length (3 1/2 hours with intermission) during some long, confusing broadcasts.

There are other problems. While there are many things that keep the Jerome family together, accent clearly is not one of them. Eugene comes the closest, but he gets into trouble in the latter part of the second act when he starts to pick up inflections from some of the others.

The performances of the men are the strongest here. Ocie Robinson is touching as the all-wise Jack, playing him as a Jewish lower middle-class “Father Knows Best.” Thom Sherman is strong and driven as the willful but well-meaning Stanley.

The women, while having some nice moments with the men, do not show the strength needed to carry off their scenes with each other. Susan Shattuck has some nice moments as the faded, fearful Blanche, but there are definitely times when more force is called for.

Sherri Allen is quite funny as Laurie, the girl who milks her supposed heart flutter to get out of every last bit of work. Part of the drag comes from Olive Blakistone and Nikki Larson, who do not seem all that comfortable in their roles as Kate and Nora, respectively.

In many ways, “Brighton Beach Memoirs” is Neil Simon’s “Radio Days,” a paean to the past and the endurance and love of those who were able to survive difficult times with love and humanity. Despite some significant flaws in this production, that feeling comes across like Judy Lokits’ costumes and Barth Ballard’s lighting--with a soft nostalgic glow.

“BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS” By Neil Simon. Director is Kathleen Thompson. Set by Ocie Robinson. Lighting by Barth Ballard. Sound by Marvin Read. Costumes by Judy Lokits. With Paul Epstein, Susan Shattuck, Olive Blakistone, Sherri Allen, Nikki Larson, Thom Sherman and Ocie Robinson. At 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday with matinees July 19 and Aug. 9 at 2 p.m. Closes Aug. 9. At the North Coast Repertory Theatre, 971A Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach.